By Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI, Dec 3 (Reuters) – China’s military sometimes simulates attacks on foreign naval vessels in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan shares intelligence with international partners when they operate in those waters, a senior Taiwan security official said on Wednesday.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own, says it alone exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strait, a major trade route for about half of global container ships.
Both the United States and Taiwan say the strait is an international waterway, however.
U.S. warships sail through the strait every few months, provoking Beijing, and some U.S. allies, such as Britain and Canada, have also made occasional transits. A New Zealand navy ship went through the strait last month.
EIGHT NAVIES MAKE A DOZEN TRIPS THIS YEAR
Tsai Ming-yen, director-general of the Taiwan National Security Bureau said eight countries’ navies, including those of Britain, France, New Zealand and the United States, have made 12 trips through the strait so far this year.
China’s basic principle is to “shadow every ship” during such missions, sending its own naval forces, he said in parliaments, responding to questions from lawmakers.
“In addition, they will sometimes mobilise air forces, as the legislator just mentioned, to carry out simulated attacks in order to demonstrate their military presence and claimed authority in the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai added.
Taiwan has an extensive and sophisticated radar and surveillance network monitoring the narrow strait.
China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China routinely denounces such sailings as a provocation.
INTELLIGENCE SHARING
Tsai said Taiwan and its “international partners” share intelligence, including information on Chinese military activities, while foreign navy ships are in the strait.
“As a result, when our international friends enter the waters around the Taiwan Strait, they can generally grasp the typical modes of Chinese communists’ activity.”
He added that one foreign navy in the strait this year was that of Vietnam, a southeast Asian country with close ties to Beijing.
Vietnam’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but state media said on Monday a warship was visiting China’s northern port of Qingdao.
China’s military operates around Taiwan on an almost daily basis in a campaign Taipei sees as harassment designed to pressure the government and Taiwan’s armed forces, by making them repeatedly scramble deterrent aircraft.
BUSY SEASON FOR CHINA’S DRILLS
China’s last named war game around Taiwan in April was called “Strait Thunder-2025”.
In December last year, Taiwan reported a surge in Chinese air force and navy activity around the island and in regional waters, though China never officially confirmed its drills.
Asked about further Chinese exercises before the end of the year, Tsai said the months from October to December were typically a busy season for China’s drills, and Taipei was keeping watch to see if any turned into Taiwan-specific war games.
China has four naval groups in the Western Pacific at the moment, he added.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Hanoi and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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